Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory

Selections from Primary Sources

Ronald Wetherington

Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory

Selections from Primary Sources

Ronald Wetherington

Description

This collection of primary source readings covers the history of evolutionary theory from its roots in Classical Greece to the present. Beginning with excerpts from Plato and Aristotle, the volume proceeds chronologically through the time of Darwin and ends with a look at the revolutions in thought--such as evolutionary development biology--that carry the evolutionary narrative from Darwin to the current day.

Wetherington begins each chapter with an overview that contextualizes the selections it contains. Vivid biographical sketches at the beginning of each reading illuminate the authors and the oeuvre out of which each work arose. These overviews and sketches are designed to assist students in drawing historical distinctions and parallels between the
preceding and succeeding units of the book, while discussion questions at the end of each unit allow students to apply the history of evolutionary theory to their own lives. Suggestions for further reading are also provided so that students can pursue their study of evolutionary theory outside of the classroom.

Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory

Selections from Primary Sources

Ronald Wetherington

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1. Roots of ScienceI. Classical GreecePlato Dialogues: Phaedo Dialogues: Timaeus Laws, Bk VI Republic, Bk VHippocrates Airs, Waters, Places, Para 14Aristotle On the Heavens, Bk I, Ch 3 On the Soul, Bk I, Ch 1 On the Soul, Bk I, Ch 2 On the Parts of Animals, Bk I, Ch 5 Metaphysics, Bk V, Part 28 The History of Animals, Bk VIII, Part 1 On the Generation of Animals, Bk I, Ch 17-18 The History of Animals, Bk VIII, Ch 28 The History of Animals, Bk V, Ch 1 Physics, Bk II, Ch 8Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingII. Medieval Society and ScienceSt. Augustine of Hippo City of God, Bk XI, Ch 4 City of God, Bk XII, Ch
10Roger Bacon On Experimental ScienceIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingIII: The Mechanical World of the 16th CenturyNicholas Copernicus On the Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies, Dedication On the Revolution of the Heavenly BodiesLeonardo Da Vinci Of the Deluge and of Marine ShellsIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 2. The 17th Century: Public Science and the New MethodologiesFrancis Bacon Novum Organum, Vol. III, Preface Novum Organum, Vol. III, Bk II On the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Vol I, Bk II Novum Organum, Vol. III, Bk IRené Descartes Rules for the Direction of the MindIsaac Newton Optics, Bk III, Part 1Voltaire Letter XIV: On
Descartes and Sir Isaac NewtonIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 3. 17th Century: Reconciling Past and Present Nicholas Steno The Prodromus John Ray The Correspondence of John Ray Experiments Concerning the Motion of the Sap in Trees Further Correspondence of John Ray Thomas Burnet The Sacred Theory of the EarthWilliam Harvey Anatomical Exercises on the Generation of Animals Introduction Ex. 1 Ex. 25 Ex. 33 Ex. 45 Ex. 50 Ex. 56Robert Hooke Micrographia Lectures and Discourses on Earthquakes and Subterranean EruptionsIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 4. 18th Century Enlightenment: Classification and DescriptionCharles
Bonnet The Contemplation of Nature, Vol. I The Contemplation of Nature, Vol. IICarolus Linnaeus Reflections on the Study of Nature Lachesis Lapponica (Travels to Lapland), Vol. 1Comte de Buffon Histoire Naturelle, Vol. 1 Histoire Naturelle, Vol. 2 Histoire Naturelle, Vol. 3Johann Friedrich Blumenbach On the Natural Varieties of MankindContributions to Natural History, Part 1James Hutton Abstract of a Dissertation read in the Royal Society of Edinburgh Theory of the Earth, Vol. I, Part IIIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 5. 18th Century Enlightenment: Evolution and ProgressErasmus Darwin Zoonomia, Vol. 1Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Zoological PhilosophyWilliam
Paley Natural TheologyThomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of PopulationAdam Smith An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Bk 1, Ch 8Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 6. Early 19th Century: The Road to Darwin Georges Cuvier Essay on the Theory of the Earth Memoirs of Baron Cuvier, R. Lee Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire Anatomical Philosophy Memoirs sur l'organísatíon des insectes Richard Owen On the Archetype and Homologies of the Vertebrate Skeleton Charles Lyell Principles of Geology, Vol I Principles of Geology, Vol IIPrinciples of Geology, Vol IIIRobert Chambers Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, Ch 12 Vestiges of the
Natural History of Creation, Ch 14Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 7. The Age of Darwin, I: The Beagle Charles Darwin Correspondence related to the appointment (Francis Darwin, ed.) Life & Letters of Charles Darwin. . .Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle (1)Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited (1) The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. Part III: Birds Darwin's Ornithological Notes (1836). The Voyage of the Beagle, Ch. 17: Galapagos Archipelago (Journal of researchesEL2)Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle (2)Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 8. The Ageof Darwin, II: After the Voyage Barlow, Nora ed. 1958. The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882 (1) Herbert, Sandra, ed. 1980. The red notebook of Charles Darwin. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) de Beer, Gavin ed. 1960. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part I. First notebook [B] Barlow, Nora ed. 1958. The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882 (2) Burkhardt, Frederick, and Sydney Smith, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, volume 6: 1856-1857.The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, volume 7: 1858-1859 (1). The Darwin-Wallace Papers: Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean SocietyIntroduction by Lyell and Hooker I. Extract from an unpublished Work on Species, by C. Darwin,
Esq., etc. II. Abstract of a Letter from C. Darwin, Esq., to Prof. Asa Gray, etc. III. On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the Original Type. Alfred Russel Wallace.Burkhardt, Frederick, and Sydney Smith, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, volume 7: 1858-1859 (2).Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 9. The Age of Darwin, III: The Origin Darwin, C. R., On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, . . . Chapter II: Variation Under Nature Chapter III: Struggle for Existence Chapter IV: Natural Selection Chapter VI: Difficulties on Theory Chapter XIV: Recapitulation and ConclusionIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 10. The Age of Darwin, IV:The AftermathBurkhardt, Frederick, and Sydney Smith, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, volume 7: 1858-1859 Owen, Richard, [Anonymous] Burkhardt, Frederick, and Sydney Smith, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, volume 8: 1860-1861 Wilberforce, Samuel [Anonymous] On the Origin of Species, etc. Quarterly Review, 1860 The Oxford ConfrontationLetter 2852 - Hooker, J.D. to Darwin, C.R., 2 July 1860Huxley, Thomas, [Anonymous]Jenkin, Fleeming St. George Mivart On the Genesis of Species. London:
MacMillan and Co. (1871)Darwin, C. R. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. 1Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 11. Early 20th Century: The Rise of Genetics and the Evolutionary SynthesisGregor Mendel Experiments in Plant HybridizationGeorge H. Hardy Mendelian proportions in a mixed population Thomas Hunt Morgan The Scientific Basis of Evolution Vitalist Theories George Gaylord Simpson The Meaning of EvolutionErnst Mayr Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 12. Beyond Biology: Social Darwinism and Eugenics Herbert Spencer William Graham Sumner The
Challenge of Facts and Other EssaysThe Rise of Eugenics Francis Galton Buck v. Bell 274 U.S. 200, Buck v. Bell, Opinion of the CourtIdeas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 13. Evolution and Religion Revisited: Creationism Stephen Jay Gould Phillip Johnson Michael Ruse Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 14. Nature-Nurture Revisited: the Rise of Sociobiology Trivers, Robert L. Hamilton, W. D. (1964) Trivers, Robert L. Wilson, Edward O. David Sloan Wilson and Edward O. Wilson Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingChapter 15. Current Challenges to the Synthetic Theory Niche Construction Day, Rachel L., Kevin N. Laland, and John Odling-Smee Evo-DevoDarwin, Charles On the origin of species by means of natural selection, . . . (1859), Chapter 13 Bateson, WilliamMaterials for the Study of Variation, treated with especial regard to discontinuity in the origin of species. New York: Macmillan and
Co., 1894Carroll, Sean B.Shubin, Neil, Cliff Tabin, and Sean CarrollGrenier, Jennifer K., et al. A Final Word Gould, Stephen Jay, Ideas to Think AboutFor Further ReadingWorks Cited

Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory

Selections from Primary Sources

Ronald Wetherington

Author Information

Ronald K. Wetherington is Professor of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University, where he is also the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. He is the author of Understanding Human Evolution (1992) and The Ceramics of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala (1978).

Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory

Selections from Primary Sources

Ronald Wetherington

Reviews and Awards

"The idea of a topical discussion of evolutionary theory based on actual writings of the time is excellent and adds an important and often overlooked historical context to the discourse." --Agustin Fuentes, University of Notre Dame

"[Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory] represents an original contribution to the history of evolutionary thought, and its inclusion of and commentary on historical texts make this a valuable classroom resource..."--David Daegling, University of Florida